As of 01 January 2022, the total carabao inventory was estimated at  2.82 million heads. This was -0.9 percent lower compared with the previous year’s same period population of 2.85 million heads. Inventory of carabao in both backyard farms and commercial farms contracted by -1.0 percent and -0.2 percent, respectively. Of the total carabao population, 99.7 percent were raised in backyard farms, while the remaining 0.3 percent were from commercial farms. (Figure 2)

In terms of inventory, Bicol Region reported the highest total carabao population of 322.52 thousand heads. This was followed by Western Visayas with 282.59 thousand heads and Central Luzon with 9.69 thousand heads. These three regions accounted for 29.9 percent of the total carabao inventory in the country.

Bicol Region reported the highest inventory of carabao in backyard farms with 322.34 thousand heads, while inventory in commercial farms was highest in Cagayan Valley with 2.97 thousand heads.